Filed under: Daily Drivel
- I didn’t hang stockings.
- I didn’t make a gingerbread house.
- I didn’t go caroling.
- I didn’t send Christmas cards.
- I didn’t read The Night Before Christmas (although I could probably recite it from memory right now if I had the urge).
- I did decorate a Christmas tree that I absolutely adore.
- I did enjoy shopping for my very small list of persons to receive Christmas presents (4 people total, seriously.)
- I did make two apple pies, one tasted better than the other.
- I did receive a lovely assortment of Christmas cards that are stuck haphazardly on my refrigerator.
- I did open a present on Christmas morning–for the first time since I was 18.
- I did get a handful of thoughtful gifts that I love, but I feel funny raving about them right now…I guess I’m all anti-consumeristic at the moment.
- Mmm, that mood has passed–I got my first iPod!! It’s red and shiny and small and cute and fancy!! And have worn those tell-tale white earplugs as accessories pretty much nonstop ever since.
- I also received some sparkly somethings from The Boy Who Has Yet To Be Named–don’t freak out, they go in my ears–I adore them.
- I did brave the mall to celebrate Boxing Day and get myself a long coveted bottle of perfume (Dolce & Gabanna, Light Blue)
- I did have about 14 lime rickies, made by either myself, my brother or my dad–this is one of my favorite family Christmas traditions–and for the record, they are absolute heaven stirred up with a bit of grenadine.
- I did spend an inordinate amount of time dragging The Boy Who Has Yet To Be Named around to various family functions–and he is still calling, so I take this as a good sign.
- I did have one minor meltdown regarding said family functions. Ok, regarding one family function. One meltdown for one family shindig out of six isn’t too shabby, really.
How about you? How was your Christmas? Any meltdowns?
Filed under: Daily Drivel
A true friend will spend 30 minutes on the phone, from Canada, no less, listening to you do the ugly cry.
A true friend will listen to you confess your really bad mistakes and leave any judgment to a shoulder shrug and a well-timed “it happens.”
She will also be your support group to prevent you from making those same mistakes again.
A true friend will let you spend the night on her couch when you just can’t stand the idea of yourself.
A true friend will sing along to 80′s love anthem‘s at the top of your lungs, complete with lotion tube microphone and an enviable shimmy.*
*For the record, I do a mean shimmy, particularly with music blasting and passers-by staring. It is one for the record books, people. Also, this may or may not have been the first time I have sung in public for a solid decade. (Public is defined as anywhere outside of my shower.)
This weekend I saw a moose. No, that’s actually not correct. This weekend, I saw three mooses, meece, moosen, moose…a Momma Moose and her two baby Moosen.
Momma Moose was perhaps 20 feet off the road the first time I saw her–I’ve never seen a Moose before and I actually thought it was a deer when we first drove past. But logic quickly took over and told me deer are not dark blackish-brown. Must have been a mule. Wait. A Mule? Like, a donkey? No, it wasn’t a mule. Suddenly, it dawned on me that this was my first moose siting. I actually squealed!
“MOOSEN! It’s a MOOSEN!” (If you have ever heard the Brian Regan skit about school and “moosen” you’ll understand where this came from.)
Momma Moose was very careful to keep her two babies hidden from view–they were small and light brown and quite cute. Like an idiot, I made Handsome slow down so I could take a few pictures. Clearly, this is not the best idea whilst there is a Momma Moose with a couple of baby Moosen around. I don’t have any crazy Moose-attack stories, thank heavens, but I’m still excited about my Moose siting.
***** ***** *****
I also went to a Monastery over the weekend–I didn’t even know there was a monastery in Utah.
Tucked away in northern Utah, 20 minutes off of state route 167 in Huntsville these monks work and pray and chant and make creamed honey and delicious jam. I’m sure they do more than that–but in my short visit that was all I experienced. I took quite a few pictures here–but I somehow feel funny posting them all over the internet.
I browsed the bookstore and picked up some of their famous honey, listened to their chanting in the church, and was generally impressed by their very dedicated way of life.
***** ***** *****
I went mountain biking for the first time on Saturday and I have the palm-sized bruise on my calf to prove it. This was the result of my flying head-over-handle bars and simultaneously catching my left calf on something pokey–like a spoke or a chain do-hickey or something.
By Sunday afternoon I was still sore and the bruise was blossoming into something quite nasty-looking, I will refrain from posting pictures because they even creep me out. Today my purpley-black bruise is considerably lightened and not nearly so painful due to some home-remedy action. Vinegar, the wonder-drug. Yesterday afternoon I soaked a small washcloth in white distilled vinegar and held it in place on my calf with a few layers of plastic wrap. It smelled badly, but after a few hours my bruise looked much much better. Vinegar…who knew?
There are times when I actually look forward to feeling sick. Not well enough to go to work? That seems like a damn fine excuse to spend the bulk of the day in bed catching up on a new, favorite book. Or watching 18 episodes of David Boreanaz as a hott and steamy FBI agent Bones. However, being forced to go to work makes for a craptacular sick day. Not having the energy to even hold up a paperback makes for a craptacular sick day. Having Handsome rescue me from my sicknastiness with a humidifier, more drugs, orange juice, a little back rub and a box of Sour Patch Kids was, by far, the best thing about my whole weekend.
Also, my first post is up on Very Bookish. Read along with me in The Elegance of the Hedgehog.
I realize that the entire Internet is buzzing about the election and the results and what-have-you. Here’s the thing….I write my posts the night before…so at this point (6:45 pm, Tuesday, Nov. 4) not a single state has been called yet. I can call my state–competing for the reddest in the country–but I have NO IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN ACROSS AMERICA!
What? That shouldn’t surprise you! I can call shoe trends and, on occassion, reality TV winners…but I can’t call an entire election. So, instead of yapping about the results and how I may or may not move to Canada Mexico, allow me to share my favorite tidbits of election season.
My landlord supports Obama, and the 4-foot by 12-foot banner on the lawn lets everyone who drives past, or even does a fly-by in a helicopter, know where his loyalties lie.
Less than 3 blocks up the street is the Utah Obama Campaign Headquarters. I think they took over an abandoned funeral home to set up shop and have had parties and campaigning going on for months. Perhaps my landlord could have helped them out with their signage though. Their banner, taped to the inside of the window, consists of six 8.5″x11″ pieces of white paper with “Obama Headquarters” handwritten in bubble letters–bubble letters, people–that look like they are sliding right off the bottom corner. I’m talking about a serious downwards slant, a good 30 degree slant, at least. Handwriting detectives would let you know that whoever wrote that sign was seriously depressed…even though they are trying to hide it by writing in bubble letters.
Over the weekend I was in an adjacent county hanging out with Handsome–he lives a solid 43 miles South of me–and I was reading over the fliers and pamphlets that arrived at his house. I can’t vote for any of those individuals, but reading their qualifications and self-professed strengths was both horrifying and hysterical. Now, as Red State, U.S.A, that particular county has the label of Reddest County, Red State, U.S.A. That being said, I was floored by the bad grammar that existed on every single Republican flier. These shiny, expensive, full-color pages were full of incomplete sentences, sentences ending in prepositions, misspelled words and sentences that had too many filler words. Appalling! Despite campaign tactics, it is probably safe to say that Republicans will win the majority of races down south, but at least the Democrats have the sense to hire a proof-reader.
Filed under: Daily Drivel
I love Spring Cleaning time, I love to rearrange my furniture, rotate my closet and get rid of all the dust bunnies under my bed. Somehow, this kind of activity makes me feel like everything is right with the world.
It is officially Fall, snow has fallen in thick blankets on the mountains and there is a definite crisp in the air. I am actually considering closing my bedroom window–which has been open since February. It’s time to up the ante a bit and break out my Fall Cleaning Skillz.
First order of business, rearrange the furniture, and revamp by bedroom. It’s time to change the lime-green polka dots to something deep and red and fabulous.
Secondly, I need to get started on my Mission: Put Together crusade. I have taken photos of several M:PT outfits, but I need to upload them to Flickr and figure out what I’m going to wear this week.
Thirdly, my apartment is in desperate need of a really good cleaning. I hope that by the week’s end it will smell like orange hardwood floor cleaner and cinnamon.
With the cold I am craving all sorts of cold-weather food. Like soup, and slow-cooker goodness, and homemade bread–even though I’ve never actually attempted homemade bread. It’s time to get back to the kitchen.
And lastly, I need to get my lazy self out and running again. I can no longer use the “it’s too late” excuse, I get off work at 3:00. I can no longer use the “it’s too hot” excuse, there is snow on the mountains. I can no longer use the “my body still hurts”, because THANKFULLY I have a clean bill of health from both my physical therapist and my chiropractor. Six months, people. It took me six months and about a hundred doctor’s appointments to finally get back to feeling good after my car accident. Gaaaah!
Life is crazy sometimes, and then other times it is completely insane.
Right now, I kind of feel like I’m in the second category. Only the insanity is more of a repetitive nature, and less of a chaotic type scenario. Although, really, there is a bit of chaos thrown in for, what, good measure? Fun? Kicks? I don’t know. (Does any of this make sense?)
Since returning from Hawaii life has fallen into the sort of routine I haven’t had for months, and after quickly getting the hang of all the new bits, I have sort of gone into an auto-pilot type mentality.
I wake up every morning by 5:30–shockingly, this has not been as difficult as I initially thought–and groggily get dressed and put on some makeup. I generally don’t remember any of this as I am still half-asleep.
I grab my lunch from the fridge and leave home by 6:10 am, and if we’re being completely honest I don’t remember a thing from the time my seat-warmer heats up until I pull into the parking lot at work. Radio, traffic (not much of this at o-dark-hundred), landmarks…it all mushes into a blur that ends with fluorescent office lighting.
Work is repetitive, mindless, and generally stress-free. This is a first for me, and while I sometimes yearn for a more exciting job, at least I don’t ever, EVER have to take work–or work-related stress–home with me. For now, the trade-off is worth it.
Before I know it I’m eating my lunch, generally outside on the office patio which overlooks a golf course with beautiful mountain peaks in the background. This part I remember, it’s usually the best part of my day.
The afternoon flies by quickly, I leave work and go to a local high school where I coach a competitive Shakespeare team. There will be more of this later. The Shakespeare stuff is a ton of fun, but still can fall into the “repetitive” category. I am in charge of 5 pieces, scenes & monologues, that are being rehearsed for a competition in October. The kids are great and the pieces are interesting, but rehearsal is rehearsal…practice until perfect.
I am typically getting home around 8:30 or 9:00 every night, eat some kind of dinner, scrape together a lunch for the next day, lounge in the shower and curl up in bed.
I haven’t been leaving comments on blogs (I have been reading! Google Reader isn’t banned at work, but blogspot, wordpress, typepad and facebook are taboo under the corporate handbook), I haven’t been writing on my own blog (clearly), I haven’t been talking to friends or family or anything.
Honestly, it feels a little weird. Going from a summer of absolutely nothing to do to this jam-packed schedule has been quite the adjustment; I really don’t think I am well-adjusted yet. The Shakespeare stuff will be done by early October, and I am hoping to have some time to myself again.
The break will come soon enough, for now I’m enjoying staying busy, however routine it may become, I am happy.
Filed under: Daily Drivel
Nearly 4 months after my car accident and I am still in the process of recovery. I still have 3 or 4 doctor’s appointments a week and my back is still all gunked up. The official word is that the ligaments attaching to my spine are taking their time to heal, which is normal. The not-as-normal part is that due to over-stretched ligaments my ribs keep popping out of place, a half-dozen at a time. And every week my physical therapist, Amy, puts them back in place, leaving me with red blotches and bruises on my spine and chest. It’s awesome. Sigh.
For the last 3 months I have been jobless. What, you didn’t know? That’s because I didn’t want to announce it, and I kept assuming that any day now I’d get that job offer–any job offer. It has a lot to do with a massive car accident, still being relatively new at the company. They technically didn’t do anything illegal, but–in my opinion–my former boss was downright unethical. Unemployment is alright, for a minute. But weeks on end of scouring Monster.com (and every other possible employment site) gets really old, REALLY fast. I’m done being unemployed. D-U-N.
Which brings me to my next announcement, I finally got a new job! It’s nothing spectacular and by no means a dream position, but it will pay the rent and the insurance and the car payment and what-have-you, so I’m pretty excited about the whole thing. I start on Aug. 11 and will have a bit of an adjustment. My shift is from 6:30 am to 3…yes, that’s right, 6:30. I don’t remember the last time I was up at 6:30, let alone at work. We’ll see how long I can last without collapsing out of exhaustion.
I need a vacation. I realize I’ve had weeks of “free time”, but I need a real vacation. One where I don’t have to worry, or stress, or freak out about anything other than what time the hotel stops serving breakfast and whether or not the beach is right outside my door or across the street. I am very much looking forward to a nice break like that. At this point I don’t know when I’ll be going on said vacation, but for my own sanity’s sake, I hope it’s soon.
This weekend I will have a little break, Handsome and I are heading up to Seattle to visit his family. I am so excited it’s a bit embarrassing. But we unemployed people have to focus on the little things in order to not tear our hair out, and right now I’m very much looking forward to a weekend in the Emerald City. It will be awesome, and considerably cooler, and I get to hang out with Handsome non-stop for a couple of days. And I can stop worrying about finding a job and just relax and enjoy the weekend.
What are you looking forward to right now?
Filed under: Daily Drivel
The Holidays are over (Happy 4th of July), the weekend has ended (Happy Weekend), the road trip(s) are finished (Hello, 700 miles!), the memory card on my camera is full (Thank you, Canon), I only have the teeniest slice of a sunburn right at my hair line (SPF 45 is my friend…if only I could apply it properly), and today, unfortunately, life must return to normal. Sigh.
My holiday festivities continue this evening with a Big Family Bash with my Enormous Family. It’s a 4th of July tradition for my mother’s family to get together and celebrate. And while we’re a touch on the belated side this year, it’s gonna be awesome. (When I say “Enormous”, I mean “Enormous”…seriously, check it out.) I will be back tomorrow with pictures and stories from the weekend, a fantastic but exhausting weekend.
Filed under: Daily Drivel
I don’t know about you, but I am so excited that January is over and February is here. In fact, I am practically giddy. There are some fantastic bits about February that I am absolutely looking forward to. Would you like “The List”? Ok, here it goes:
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February 2: Happy Groundhog Day -how will you celebrate?
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February 3: Happy Super Bowl Sunday -who brought chips and salsa?
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February 5: Happy Mardi Gras!
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February 7: Happy Chinese New Year -any excuse to eat fortune cookies and Kung Pao Chicken is good enough for me.
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February 7-10: Going on Vacation! – Handsome V and I are going on a road-trip. Itinerary includes Las Vegas & Phoenix. So! Excited!
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February 12: Happy Birthday Abe Lincoln
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February 13: Happy Birthday heidikins
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February 14: Happy Heart Day
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February 18: Happy Birthday to all the Dead Presidents -do YOU have the day off?
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February 22: Happy Birthday George Washington
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Does anyone else think there are a LOT of holidays in February?
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February 29: Happy Leap Year
February has more reasons to party than November and December combined! Can you see why I’m excited for February? Barring natural disaster or some kind of terrorist attack on my shoe closet, there is really no other option but for February to go down in history as the Best! Month! Ever!
And, if we’re being completely honest, I may or may not be doing a little Happy Dance at my desk at random intervals throughout the morning.
